Travel Blog

More Helpful Hostel Tips

Write detailed instructions for how to get to the hostel from the train station/airport/wherever you’re coming from. Getting lost sucks and some hostels can be tough to find.

Book hostels ahead of time during the busy season — especially in the summer.

Bring ear plugs and a sleeping mask. There is bound to be one person who snores super loud when you’re in a room of 12 people. He is probably the same jerk who turns the lights on when returning to the room at 4am. He’ll probably brush his teeth and leave the water running the entire time too. And I bet he hates puppies.

Renting a towel from a hostel is a lot better than carrying your own stinky wet towel around in your backpack. Not all hostels offer towels for rent, so I suggest buying a special quick drying travel towel

I always like to book hostels that only allow people 18+. Large school groups often rent hostels for school trips. 50 middle schoolers running around isn’t remotely enjoyable. I also like hostels that don’t rent to bachelor/stag parties as these groups often get belligerently drunk.

Read the hostel’s policies. Some only accept cash, some have a lockout period (usually between 11am-4pm) for cleaning, and some even have a curfew.

Some hostels charge for linens. I’ve never encountered this but I have had to pay a refundable deposit on sheets.

I’ve never met a front desk worker who didn’t speak pretty good English.

Many hostels have pub-crawls and the guides know where to get the cheapest drinks. This is a great way to meet other travelers.